July 27, 2014 UpdatesThe Celtics are privately thrilled that Marcus Smart has been invited to participate for the USA Select Team that will train against Team USA for the next few weeks as it prepares for the FIBA World Cup that begins Aug. 30 in Spain. Although Smart impressed coaches with how hard he played and his offensive development as summer league progressed, the USA Select experience will give Smart a head start over other rookies as training camp approaches. Chicago’s Doug McDermott was the other rookie invited. Boston GlobeBoston Celtics, Team USA, Marcus Smart, World Cup - See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors/tag/boston_celtics#sthash.1K6lAX0R.dpuf

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but this was announced weeks ago. This is the second time Smart has been asked to train with Team USA. He, along with McDermott, were the only two collegiate players invited to practice with them in 2013. Same story, different year. This year, either could end up being selected onto the final 12-man roster, but it would take some injuries for that to happen.

I really do hope people start warming up to Marcus. He's a tremendous player. Could not be more thrilled he's on the team. The more I read about him and the more I watch him, the more I think Boston really nailed it.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is one of only two rookies on USA Basketball's select team that opens a four-day training with the national team on Monday in Las Vegas.

Smart has cemented his place in the USA Basketball pipeline in recent years, especially after helping the under-19 squad win gold at the World Championships in Prague last summer (where he averaged 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.2 assists in nine games). Smart also attended the national team's mini camp last July in Las Vegas.

While the Celtics are confident they secured an impact player with the No. 6 pick in June's draft, USA Basketball's recent confidence in Smart speaks volume about what the national team believes his potential is.

Here's an ESPN blog entry from last summer in advance of USA Basketball's mini camp:

USA Basketball Loves Marcus Smart Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski always have their list of unimpeachable national team selections, players like LeBron James and Chris Paul. But they are always on the lookout for young talent, too. This is especially true in off-years, when there are no Olympics on the immediate horizon. The net ends up being a win both for USA Basketball and for basketball in the U.S. The number of young players that emerged from the 2010 FIBA World Championships as bona fide NBA stars is a perfect example. This confluence can work for everyone.

From July 22-25, Team USA is holding its annual minicamp in Las Vegas, which will include a handful of closed practices followed by an event-ending showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV. Still one year removed from the 2014 FIBAs, and three years away from the next Olympics, this summer is all about young talent -- collecting it in one place, drilling with Coach K and the rest of Team USA's staff, and starting to think about which group should make up the next young-ish batch of players at the FIBA World Championships.

Naturally, all of these players are in the NBA. There is just one exception: Marcus Smart. [Note: Creighton's Doug McDermott, who is the other rookie on this year's select team, was later added to the minicamp]

Yes, the Oklahoma State rising sophomore -- national freshman and Big 12 player of the year in 2012-13 -- is the only non-NBA player invited to take part in minicamp in Las Vegas this month. Even more impressive: Team USA didn't invite a single player from this year's draft. Everyone else on the list -- which you can see in full here -- has played at least one full season in the NBA, and oftentimes several.

Naturally, Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford is thrilled with this development.

"We're very excited for Marcus," Ford said in a release. "It's an incredible honor to be the lone college player to be selected. It's a great honor for him and our program. He continues to represent us in a first-class manner, both on and off the court."

And there were plenty of stories like this last summer. From CBS Sports: "Easy to understand why USA Basketball loves Marcus Smart" and from Sports Illustrated: "With USA Basketball, Marcus Smart gets a taste of the dream he deferred."

Much like with Kelly Olynyk getting international game reps with Canada's men's national program during its 11-game exhibition slate overseas, it can seemingly only help Boston's young talent to get national team exposure this early in their NBA careers. Yes, there's always the risk of injury, but the experience almost certainly outweighs that danger.

I going to give everyone here one more chance to get on the Smart bandwagon now. I couldn't be happier that they selected him over Randle, Payton, Stauskas, McDermott, Harrs (who Danny liked at 17 btw). Literally everyone. Honestly, I think Orlando and Utah might have missed here. I liked Aaron Gordon too. Thought he was going to be the pick at 6. Once Orlando got him I was all-in on Smart or Elfrid Payton. Fist-pumped at the bar when the selection was made.

For those detractors, I'm sure there are still some out there, please do yourselves a favor and go watch complete games OK State played in. There are some on YouTube. Just watched the OK State/Kansas Big-12 tournament game the other day. OK State was AWFUL! The guys around Smart are a joke. Offensive sets were a mess, they missed open guys a ton because they were late with the pass, shot selection was awful (Forte was particularly bad), and that game went to OT basically because Smart is the man. He had 14 points (4-14 shooting), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and locked down Wiggins in the first half to the point where Wiggins didn't even want the ball. When Smart wasn't on him, notice how quickly Wiggins attacks.

Quote from Gonzo that writes for Sheridan Hoops and is covering the Team USA practices:

"I did manage to watch the point guards a bit. Damian Lillard was disappointing, and there was a stretch where both Marcus Smart and Victor Oladipo of the Select Team flat-out took it to Wizards teammates John Wall and Bradley Beal."

I'm probably going to buy my Marcus Smart jersey in the next few weeks. I suggest you all get on board.

I going to give everyone here one more chance to get on the Smart bandwagon now. I couldn't be happier that they selected him over Randle, Payton, Stauskas, McDermott, Harrs (who Danny liked at 17 btw). Literally everyone. Honestly, I think Orlando and Utah might have missed here. I liked Aaron Gordon too. Thought he was going to be the pick at 6. Once Orlando got him I was all-in on Smart or Elfrid Payton. Fist-pumped at the bar when the selection was made.

For those detractors, I'm sure there are still some out there, please do yourselves a favor and go watch complete games OK State played in. There are some on YouTube. Just watched the OK State/Kansas Big-12 tournament game the other day. OK State was AWFUL! The guys around Smart are a joke. Offensive sets were a mess, they missed open guys a ton because they were late with the pass, shot selection was awful (Forte was particularly bad), and that game went to OT basically because Smart is the man. He had 14 points (4-14 shooting), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and locked down Wiggins in the first half to the point where Wiggins didn't even want the ball. When Smart wasn't on him, notice how quickly Wiggins attacks.

Quote from Gonzo that writes for Sheridan Hoops and is covering the Team USA practices:

"I did manage to watch the point guards a bit. Damian Lillard was disappointing, and there was a stretch where both Marcus Smart and Victor Oladipo of the Select Team flat-out took it to Wizards teammates John Wall and Bradley Beal."

I'm probably going to buy my Marcus Smart jersey in the next few weeks. I suggest you all get on board.

Can you imagine the havoc the Cs would make if Rondo started playing defense again instead pretending to be a matador? A rotation of 2 of Rondo, AB, and Smart could smother other teams guards.

I going to give everyone here one more chance to get on the Smart bandwagon now. I couldn't be happier that they selected him over Randle, Payton, Stauskas, McDermott, Harrs (who Danny liked at 17 btw). Literally everyone. Honestly, I think Orlando and Utah might have missed here. I liked Aaron Gordon too. Thought he was going to be the pick at 6. Once Orlando got him I was all-in on Smart or Elfrid Payton. Fist-pumped at the bar when the selection was made.

For those detractors, I'm sure there are still some out there, please do yourselves a favor and go watch complete games OK State played in. There are some on YouTube. Just watched the OK State/Kansas Big-12 tournament game the other day. OK State was AWFUL! The guys around Smart are a joke. Offensive sets were a mess, they missed open guys a ton because they were late with the pass, shot selection was awful (Forte was particularly bad), and that game went to OT basically because Smart is the man. He had 14 points (4-14 shooting), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and locked down Wiggins in the first half to the point where Wiggins didn't even want the ball. When Smart wasn't on him, notice how quickly Wiggins attacks.

Quote from Gonzo that writes for Sheridan Hoops and is covering the Team USA practices:

"I did manage to watch the point guards a bit. Damian Lillard was disappointing, and there was a stretch where both Marcus Smart and Victor Oladipo of the Select Team flat-out took it to Wizards teammates John Wall and Bradley Beal."

I'm probably going to buy my Marcus Smart jersey in the next few weeks. I suggest you all get on board.

Can you imagine the havoc the Cs would make if Rondo started playing defense again instead pretending to be a matador? A rotation of 2 of Rondo, AB, and Smart could smother other teams guards.

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I always liked him. I admit I wanted someone else on draft day, but I will now happily join the MSmart bandwagon!

The more I read about him and the more I watch him, the more I think Boston really nailed it.

that's fine. i'm glad to have smart, too. but didn't ainge prefer gordon and wasn't smart drafted as the best player available? should that really be described as boston nailing it?

bp

We probably will never know. Rumors may have been floated about Aaron Gordon in hopes another team would draft him before the Cs. If they worked then that's a plus for Danny. He'd never admit to it now.

Reports from practice say Smart is taking it to the USA team, draining threes and otherwise making them look bad. Smart wasn't supposed to be sitting there at 6, we got lucky.

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Agreed - I was 100% convinced ORL would take him or Exum at 4. Gordon was a complete surprise, even if they did get Payton later. I was then 100% convinced that Utah would take him at 5. Exum is a nice story, and I hope he does well.

And for all the lakers fans I've come in contact with out here. Those that say, "I can't believe Randle got past BOS at 6....we lucked out" - here is something none of them deny. IF Smart was there at 7, Mithcy boy would have taken him over Randle every day and twice on Sunday.

I feel more and more confident trading Rondo now, I think this kid is the real deal!

I hope we're all wondering to ourselves 3 years from now how Smart lasted till the 6th pick. A guy like Exum with no track record gets drafted over Smart? Time will tell on that one, even if Exum looks like he has a high ceiling. To me, Smart was a safe pick in that even if he never becomes a great deep threat/3-point shooter he can still score in other ways -- including getting to the FT line a lot. He seems to have position versatility between the 1 and 2 and can guard bigger guys. Plus he's an acknowledged tenacious defender -- and that says a lot about the guy in that as good as he is he wants to play defense. As much as he's a solid pick at 6 I would've grabbed Gordon if he was there if I were DA. But Smart could make Danny look good, just like PP did when he fell to the Celts at 10.

The more I read about him and the more I watch him, the more I think Boston really nailed it.

that's fine. i'm glad to have smart, too. but didn't ainge prefer gordon and wasn't smart drafted as the best player available? should that really be described as boston nailing it?

bp

I think Ainge really wanted Smart from the get-go. Danny saw him work out 3 times for a reason. Also gushed about him during the season for a reason. Gordon was up there, with Wiggins and Embiid I'm sure. Danny knew that there was a good chance one of Gordon/Smart would be there. He could have taken a bunch of good guys (where would TJ Warren go in the re-draft?). Could have taken Randle, Vonleh, McDermott, Payton, Stauskas, etc. There were a bunch of nice players in this draft, some taken after Smart.